Adjustable steering column for an agricultural machine

ABSTRACT

A self-propelled combine has a forward transverse engine adjacent the operator&#39;&#39;s station. The engine drives the various combine functions through several drive systems having inputs mounted on the engine output shaft and covered by an enclosure with a raisable top on which the operator&#39;&#39;s seat is mounted. The seat is also shiftable rearwardly to permit standup operation of the combine, which is facilitated by an adjustable steering column. The handrail at the front of the operator&#39;&#39;s station is attached to and moves with the steering column.

United States Patent 1 1 3,695,627

Bichel et al. [451 Oct. 3, 1972 [54] ADJUSTABLE STEERING COLUMN [56]References Cited FOR AN AGRICULTURAL MACHINE UNITED STATES PATENTS 72 It Darwi l l 1 'l. 2$, g s f ffi ifi 3,259,257 7/1966 Brown et al..1s0/775 ux R. 1 Box both of Moline Hershman X lll. 61244; Wayne EldonSlaverns,

Primary Examiner-Milton Kaufman 26th Avenue Molme AttumeyH. VincentHarsha, Harold M. Knoth, William A. Murray and John M. Noland I22!Filed: April 27, I970 2|1 Appl. No.: 43,278 [57] ABSTRACT Aself-propelled combine has a forward transverse en- Relaed Appl'cauonData gine adjacent the operators station. The engine drives [62]Division of Ser No. 767,689, O t, 15, 1968, the various combinefunctions through several drive Pat, N 3,583,518, systems having inputsmounted on the engine output shaft and covered by an enclosure with araisable top [52] 0.5. CI. ..280/87 A, 74/493 on whi h h p r ors seat ismounted. The seat is [51] Int. Cl. ..B62d 1/18 a s h fta r arwardly topermit standup operation [58] Fi ld f S ar h 74/493, 492; 280/150 3,87R, of the combine, which is facilitated by an adjustable steeringcolumn. The handrail at the front of the operators station is attachedto and moves with the steering column.

2 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures .P'A'IENIEUws m2 "3,695,627

SHEET 2 0F 2 I NVENTORS D. C. BICHEL RL.M OLM 8| W E. S ENS ATTCRNEYADJUSTABLE STEERING COLUMN FOR AN AGRICULTURAL MACHINE CROSS REFERENCETO RELATED APPLICATIONS This is a division of application Ser. No.767,689, filed Oct. 15, 1968, now US. Pat. No. 3,583,518.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to self-propelledagricultural harvesting machines such as combines or the like, and moreparticularly to a novel arrangement of components at the operatorsstation on the machine.

It is known to mount the engine at the front of the combine adjacent toand at substantially the same level as the operators Station,immediately in front of the combine grain tank. Such an arrangement ofcomponents provides several advantages and creates several problems aswell. Generally, combine engines are mounted transversely on the combineso that the engine output shaft is parallel to the drive shafts of mostof the combine components, the parallel arrangement of the shaftssimplifying the belt drives, which are conventionally used to drive thevarious combine components. However, when the engine is arrangedtransversely at the forward end of the combine, with the conventionaldrives mounted on the engine output shaft and the operators stationdisposed laterally adjacent to the engine and drive components, themachine becomes excessively wide.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the present invention, a novelarrangement of components is provided whereby the combine engine ispositioned transversely at the front of the combine adjacent to theoperators station without creating an excessively wide machine. Morespecifically, the engine output shaft and the various drive inputelements mounted thereon extend into the operators station below theoperators seat, the drive input elements being covered with an enclosureon which the seat is mounted.

Also according to the invention, the enclosure on which the seat ismounted is provided with a raisable top to provide access to the variousdrive elements within the enclosure.

Another feature of the invention resides in the location of the pivotfor the raisable enclosure top so that the seat mounted on the enclosuretop swings into the open top of the grain tank behind the enclosure,whereby the enclosure top can be fully opened without interference fromthe seat mounted thereon.

Still another feature of the invention resides in the provision of meansfor shifting the seat rearwardly to permit standup operation of thecombine.

While it is known to provide an adjustable steering wheel on a combineto facilitate standup operation of the machine, according to the presentinvention, the entire steering column adjusts forwardly and rearwardlyabout a pivot at the floor of the combine, and, in addition, theconventional handrail which extends across the front of the operatorsstation, is, according to the present invention, connected to thesteering column near its upper end, the lower ends of the handrail'being pivotally connected to the floor of the operators station so thatthe handrail is adjusted foreand-aft with the steering column andmaintains its same relationship with the steering wheel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation view of theoperators station embodying the present invention, the steering columnand seat being positioned for seated operation of the combine by theoperator.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the seating area of the DESCRIPTION OFTHE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The invention is embodied in a combine having amain separator body, indicated generally by the numeral 10, only theupper forward portion of the body being shown in the drawings. Anoperators station, indicated generally by the numeral 12, is located onthe upper forward part of the body 10, and laterally adjacent to theoperator's station 12 is an engine enclosure 14, the engine enclosurebeing located at the right side of the combine while the operatorsstation is on the left side of the combine. It is to be understood thatthe terms right and left as well as forward and rearward, etc. are withreference to a person facing the direction of advance of the machine (tothe left in FIGS. 1 and 3).

A conventional internal combustion engine (not shown) is located in theengine enclosure 14 with its output shaft extending transversely to thedirection of machine travel. The engine enclosure includes a generallyupright fore-and-aft extending left side wall 16 adjacent to theoperators station 12. A control console 18, which includes many of thecombines instruments and controls, is located adjacent the side wall 16.The engine enclosure also includes a generally horizontal top wall 20and a generally upright front wall 22. The engine output shaft extendsthrough a housing 24, which projects through the engine enclosure sidewall 16 toward the operators station as best seen in FIG. 2, and a pairof drive sheaves 26 and 28 are mounted on and driven by the engineoutput shaft, the drive sheaves typically serving as the inputs for thepropulsion drive and the drive which powers various harvestingcomponents. Also mounted on and driven by the end of the engine outputshaft is the main hydraulic pump 30, which supplies fluid pressure tooperate the various hydraulic functions on the combine.

An elevated grain tank 32 is mounted on the combine immediately to therear of the engine enclosure I6 and operators station 12 and includes anopen top 34, which is substantially in the same plane as the top wall 20of the engine enclosure, and a transverse upright front wall 36, whichextends the width of the combine and forms the rear wall of the engineenclosure.

The operators'station 12 includes a horizontal floor 38, which projectsforwardly past the front wall of the engine enclosure and has a rearwardportion 40 laterally adjacent to the forward portion of the controlconsole 18. The floor is at approximately the same level as the bottomof the engine, so that the axis of the engine output shaft issubstantially above the level of the floor. Thus, as best seen in FIG.3, at least the upper part of the power transmitting components 26, 28and 30 are above the level of the floor 38.

An enclosure, indicated generally by the numeral 42, covers the engineoutput shaft and the power transmitting components 24, 26, 28 mountedthereon. The I enclosure 42 includes an upright left side wall 44extending upwardly from the floor 38 and forwardly from the front wall36 of the grain tank and a transverse, generally upright front wall 46extending between the front edge of the side wall 44 and the controlconsole 18, which forms the right side wall of the enclosure, while thefront wall 36 of the grain tank forms the rear wall of the enclosure. Anenclosure top portion or hood 48 covers the top of the enclosure 42 andincludes an upwardly and rearwardly inclined top panel 50, a generallyupright left side panel 52, which is aligned with and merges with thetop of the left side wall 44, a generally upright front panel 54, whichis aligned with and merges with the front wall 46, and an upright rearpanel 56 extending upwardly from the rearward edge of the top panel 50adjacent to the front wall of the grain tank. The entire top portionorhood 48 is raisable away from the remainder of the enclosure 42 about atransverse hinge or pivot 58 connecting the upper end of the rear panel56 to the front wall 36 of the grain tank.

A conventional seat 60 having a normally horizontal seating surface 61is mounted on the enclosure top portion or hood 48 by seat mountingmeans 62, which includes an upwardly and rearwardly inclined ramp ortrack 64, mounted on the top panel 50 of the enclosure, a followermember 66, which is adjustable in a generally fore-and-aft upwardly andrearwardly inclined direction on the ramp 64, and a parallel linkage 68connecting the seat to the member 66 and permitting the seat to beshifted from a normal operative position with its seating surfacehorizontal, as shown in FIG. 1, and a folded back position as shown inFIG. 3, wherein the seat is disposed rearwardly of the rearward floorportion 40.

A generally upright steering column structure 70 extends upwardly fromthe forward end of the floor 38 in general fore-and-aft alignment withthe seat 60 and supports a steering wheel 72 at its upper end. Othercombine controls'(not shown) are so conventionally mounted on thesteering column structure for easy manipulation by the operator while heis also steering the machine. The entire steering column structure 70 ismounted on the combine for fore-and-aft adjustment about a transversepivot 74 at the lower end of the steering column structure adjacent tothe floor 38. The steering column structureis swingable in an are aboutthe pivot 74 between a rearward position, as shown in FIG 1, and aforward position, as shown in FIG. 3, and is selectively locked in thealternate positions shown or in several intermediate positions by aconventional latching mechanism (not shown) at its lower end, thelatching mechanism being actuated by the operator by a pedal 76 at thebase of the steering column structure.-

A handrail structure 78 extends across the front of the operatorsstation and substantially spans the width of the operators station toprevent the operator from falling off the front of the operatorsstation. The handrail includes an upper transverse portion 80, which ispivotally clamped to the forward-end of the steering column structure bya U-shaped bracket 82, and a pair of upright leg portions 84 and 85extending downwardly from the opposite ends of the transverse portion80. The lower end 86 of the left leg 84 is pivotally connected to thefloor by an inverted U- shaped bracket 88, while the lower end 84 of theright leg 85 is pivotally connected to the floor by a pivot structure90. The pivots 88 and 90 are transversely aligned and substantially inalignment with the axis of the pivot 74, so that the handrail swings ina fore-andaft direction with the steering column structure and ismaintained in alternate positions corresponding to the alternatepositions of the steering column structure.

In operation, when the operator wishes to operate the combine from aseated position, the seat is positioned as shown in FIG. 1. By adjustingthe follower member 66 along the ramp 64, the position of the seat inrelation to the rest of the controls can be adjusted to suit theindividual operator. The steering column structure is also adjusted sothat the controls mounted thereon are easily accessible to the seatedoperator, the steering column structure being adjustable in aforeand-aft direction to afford the optimum placement of the steeringwheel and controls relative to the seat according to the dictates of theoperator. The forward edge of the seating surface 61 generally overliesthe rearward portion of the floor 40 which receives the operators feet.4

If the operator desires to operate the combine from a standing position,the seat 62 is shifted upwardly and rearwardly to the position shown inFIG. 3, so that theseat 62 is entirely clear of the rearward portion ofthe floor on which the operator stands. The steering column structure 70is also shifted forwardly so that it also is forwardly of the rearwardfloor portion 40. In addition, when the structure 70 is swung forwardly,the tilt of the steering wheel is decreased to a more advantageous anglefor the standing operator. The handrail 78 is close to the operator toprovide maximum protection and the fact that the handrail is alsoshifted forwardly when the steering column structure is shiftedforwardly automatically places the handrail in a position wherein itwill not interfere with the standing operator, even though it isrelatively close to the operator when he is in the seated position. Theswinging handrail and steering column structure also facilitate ingressand egress from the operators station when the combine is being operatedfrom the seated position.

The location of the engine output shaft and the various powertransmitting components 26, 28, and 30 below the seat 60 permits alesser overall width of the machine than if the operators station weredisposed laterally from the end of the engine output shaft. Theenclosure 42 provides the necessary shielding for the power transmittingcomponents, while the raisable enclosure hood 48 provides service accessto the power transmitting components. As is apparent, the hinge 58 islocated above the level of the enclosure so that the seat and itsmounting means 62 swing upwardly a sufficient distance to clear the topof the grain tank when the hood 48 is opened, whereby a portion of theseat swings into the open top of the grain tank, permitting theenclosure hood 48 to be fully opened.

We claim:

1. In a self-propelled agricultural machine having an elevated operatorsstation including a floor and a seat, the improvement comprising: agenerally upright steering column structure extending upwardly from thefloor forwardly of the seat; a steering wheel mounted on the upper endof the steering column structure; means mounting the steering columnstructure on the machine for generally fore-and-aft adjustment of thesteering column structure and the steering wheel mounted thereonrelative to the seat; a handrail means above the forward end of theoperators station and including a generally transverse upper portionsubstantially spanning with width of the operators station; and meansconnecting the upper portion of the handrail means to the steeringcolumn structure for fore-and-aft adjustment therewith.

2. The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the means mounting thesteering column structure to the machine includes transverse pivot meansadjacent the floor, the steering column structure being mounted forswinging fore-and-aft adjustment about said pivot means, and thehandrail means includes a lower portion pivotally connected to the floorfor swinging of the handrail in fore-and-aft are with the steeringcolumn structure about a transverse axis approximately aligned with thesteering column structure pivot means.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION- Patent No. 3 r695 r 627 Dated 3 October 1972 Inventor(s) Darwin Carl Bichel. Robert LaVerne Malcolm. Wayne Eldon Slavens v It is certified that error appearsin the above-identified patent and that said Letters Patent are herebycorrected as shown below:

Column 6, line 1, change "with" to the line 12 after "in" insert a sameline, change "are" to arc Signed and sealed this 8th day of May 1973.

(SEAL) Attest:

EDWJQRD"*LFlETCHERJR. ROBERT- GOTTSCHAIK AbtGStll'lg OfficerCommissioner of Patents r FQ-IOSO l'lO-GS) USCO MM-DC 60376-P69 u.s.covsaumzm PRINTING OFFICE: I969 o-aes-au

1. In a self-propelled agricultural machine having an elevatedoperator''s station including a floor and a seat, the improvementcomprising: a generally upright steering column structure extendingupwardly from the floor forwardly of the seat; a steering wheel mountedon the upper end of the steering column structure; means mounting thesteering column structure on the machine for generally fore-and-aftadjustment of the steering column structure and the steering wheelmounted thereon relative to the seat; a handrail means above the forwardend of the operator''s station and including a generally transverseupper portion substantially spanning with width of the operator''sstation; and means connecting the upper portion of the handrail means tothe steering column structure for fore-and-aft adjustment therewith. 2.The invention defined in claim 1 wherein the means mounting the steeringcolumn structure to the machine includes transverse pivot means adjacentthe floor, the steering column structure being mounted for swingingfore-and-aft adjustment about said pivot means, and the handrail meansincludes a lower portion pivotally connected to the floor for swingingof the handrail in fore-and-aft are with the steering column structureabout a transverse axis approximately aligned with the steering columnstructure pivot means.